


Hero

by grandpopcorn



Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe-Super Powers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, No Smut, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some Fluff, Some Humor, Super power AU, Violence, many small deaths, no relationships - Freeform, only friendships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-09 02:32:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12878319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grandpopcorn/pseuds/grandpopcorn
Summary: The stories of a hero with extraordinary powers. This hero would use their gift and risk their own life to save people, animals, anything that was innocent. They wouldn’t demand payment for the deeds they would do. They wouldn’t boast to others about all the incredible things they have accomplished. When asked why they do what they do, that hero would always say because it was the right thing to do. The young man opens his eyes when he hears the door open. He sits up and walks out the room into an arena. It looked the same as always. It was all a white metal. The floor looked like a bunch of tiles, but he learned from last time that the floor could be changed into whatever the technicians wanted. Above him the crowd is safely cheering behind force fields. He stares at the faces of the crowd.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello i started another fic. probably a bad idea. oh well hope you guys enjoy this disaster.

Loud cheers were heard outside the room a young male around his twenties was waiting in. He just sat there with his eyes closed waiting for the doors to open. As he waits he remembers the stories he was told as a kid. The stories of a hero with extraordinary powers. This hero would use their gift and risk their own life to save people, animals, anything that was innocent. They wouldn’t demand payment for the deeds they would do. They wouldn’t boast to others about all the incredible things they have accomplished. When asked why they do what they do, that hero would always say because it was the right thing to do. The young man opens his eyes when he hears the door open. He sits up and walks out the room into an arena. It looked the same as always. It was all a white metal. The floor looked like a bunch of tiles, but he learned from last time that the floor could be changed into whatever the technicians wanted. Above him the crowd is safely cheering behind force fields. He stares at the faces of the crowd. At least 500 people screaming and cheering down at him. He sighs to himself. How could so many people enjoy watching this? There really is no hero in this world. He turns his attention to the other side of the arena just to see his opponent stare him down with cruel eyes. The young man studies said person. She seems to be about the same age as him, but she is different. It’s as if she has lost all of her humanity. It happens. He has had to face many people like that before. 

 

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the Fights of Gods! I Know we have been waiting for this all week!” a gruff man in the middle of the arena announces to the people above him and to the people watching this on their TV because this whole thing is being broadcasted to the whole world. “We are starting the fights with our Champion from last year and his new opponent!” the man continues. “On the right we have Shownu one of our strongest fighters! With the power to move the earth, he has a great advantage against many of our other fighters! Will he take the win this year as well?” the crowd cheered loudly. “His opponent is a new fighter! Her name is Alice! She has the power to form her body into any weapon she wants! Will that be enough to dethrone our Champion?!?” the crowd cheers as the announcer speaks. “The Pols are open my beautiful people! Place your bets on who you think will win! Then we will get the fight started!” For a while all Shownu can hear around him are murmurs of who would be the best choice to bet on. He stands there as people bet on his life. It feels like only seconds until the announcer comes back, but this time he is in the crowd, far away from the hell that is about to break loose. “The fight will start in. Five. Four. Three. Two. One!” The crowd cheers as both people in the arena start moving. Shownu has to keep his distance until he can find small patches of ground that they normally provide for him. The arena is high tech and can be transformed into whatever will make the fight more interesting and hiding Shownu’s source of power seems to be that. Wouldn’t be much fun for the viewers if he could have the whole place as his play ground. The arena isn’t big, just about the size of a small gym. This way the fighters don’t have much room to continuously avoid each other. 

 

“YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD!” Alice screams as she forms her arm into a sword and swings at Shownu. He barely manages to dodge it by diving under her attack. As he dodged her attack he countered by kicking her feet from under her. She doesn’t seem to plan any of her attacks. She was brash and headed in to attack before thinking and Shownu will use that to his advantage because without his source of power he has no chance of winning. 

 

“That was an incredible counter attack from Shownu! But he seems to be struggling to find his source of power! I’ve heard that the developers have made it difficult on purpose to see how long he could last!” Shownu curses under his breath, of course they wouldn’t make this easy for him. Once again, he moves to dodge one of Alice’s attacks, but this time she saw it coming and switches her other hand into a dagger and impales it right into Shownu’s thigh. He screams from the pain.

“I’M GOING TO FUCKING END YOU!” Alice growls at him. She moves her sword arm to attack, but Shownu stops her. He may not be able to use his powers, but he is physically stronger than her. Shownu finally manages to push her off of him and tries to move away from her to gain his footing again. The moment he gets up she lunges at him and again. He manages to barely avoid the attack. “I’M GOING TO WIN!” She screams. Drool rolling down her chin as she does. 

“Shownu seems to be struggling without his powers! Will he lose?” Shownu hates to agree with the announcer, but he doesn’t see a way he can win this without his powers. Is this the end for him? Another attack from Alice and Shownu manages to grab a hold of both her arms.

“I’m going to kill you. You’re going to die! Kill…I’ll kill you” she repeats as she struggles to gain control. Then Shownu finds it. The patch of ground only a few inches away from him. “I don’t want to die!” screams Alice. Shownu turns back to her and sees the look of desperation in her eyes. “I need to kill you so I can live!” Shownu watches as her teeth become sharp like sharks teeth. He doesn’t move as she goes in for the attack. He gasps as he feels her teeth sink in between his neck and shoulder. The pain causes him to fall backwards. Shownu has let go of her and his arms land at his side as she rips deeper into his flesh. Everything seems to fade away. He can’t hear the crowd, not even the announcer. Everything was quiet as he fades farther and farther. Why is he letting this happen? Is he going to let her kill him? Why? Because she wants to live? She wants to live like everyone else in this fucking show. Shownu moves his arm a few inches to his right. 

“I-I’m sorry, but I want t-to li-live too” he whispers to her. His finger finally touches what he had been looking for this whole fight. The ground. He forms it to push her off of him. He clasps his hand over his wound as he stands up and once again forms the ground with his thoughts. He shapes it into a bear and moves it to attack her. He doesn’t have to do anything else. He controls the ground with his mind and that’s all he needs to win. He watches his creation attack her. He watches until it is over. He had managed to knock her out and that’s all he needs to win. 

“WOW, WOW that was incredible! Shownu managed to win!” the announcer yells. Shownu stumbles. He won…He won but at what cost? His bear collapses into a pile of dirt as Shownu struggles to keep conscious. The door to the arena opens again and a medical team runs out. One towards Alice and the other to Shownu. “We will go to commercial while the fighters are being healed” Shownu watches as they heal Alice. How many? How many has Shownu killed? “We are back! The fighters are all healed and the loser will be given her fate! As the winner Shownu can go back to fight another day! Since he didn’t kill Alice in the fight it is up to us to figure out how she meets her end!” the fans cheer and Shownu feels sick. He watches as the medic finishes stitching him up. Was not killing them himself worse for them? The medic crew helped Shownu out of the arena since he was too weak to move on his own. He doesn’t turn back even as Alice desperately screams for her life. He had learned from the first time he looked back. He looks at his feet as he walks back to his room, or at least that’s what the guards call them. Shownu thinks they are more like jail cells. He walks past all the other fighters and he doesn’t look at them as they all call him a cheater for his powers. As he is helped back to his cell his mind wonders. This world he lives in doesn’t have a hero. In this world all a hero is, is a story made up by people who still have hope in this world. Shownu has lost all hope ever since he got here. There is one thing this world of his has an excessive amount of and those are villains. Villains who gain everything from other people’s misery. Shownu understands that with all the pain he has caused he is one of those villains.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some back story of how the fighting all started. Hope you enjoy

How did the world become so…cruel? Was it always like this? So, empty? When did everything go to hell? Shownu waits in his room (more like a jail cell), lying down on his bed staring up at the ceiling. His head racing every minute he spends in his room. What made him into the monster that he is today? Every day is so lonely. So painful. He wants everything to stop, but he is afraid. That’s why he fights. That’s why he makes sure to win. Even if he has to hurt other people. He turns his head away from the ceiling and looks around his room. It had three white metallic walls and a ceiling made of the same material. The last wall (more like a door) is made out of thick bullet proof glass. All he had in his room was a bed and a TV that only worked when the fights were on. Shownu sits up on his bed and stares at the corridor through the glass. He has a view of all the other fighters in their own rooms. It isn’t a sight he likes, but it was one of the only ones he had. Bright lights illuminating the whole compound. A guard here and there. Everything was the same boring white metal like in Shownu’s room. He sighs and lies back down. His mind starts to wander again. He’s deep in thought since he has nothing to distract him. He starts to think about the stories his grandma would tell him when he was little. It’s one of the few things he can remember. He doesn’t remember how his grandma looked or everything she told him. All he knows is that this happened somewhere around 2018 which was seventy years ago. What he remembers from the stories was that this whole thing started because of a war between the world’s leaders. Shownu was too young to understand what that meant. He still doesn’t really get it and maybe he never will. Sighing deeply he sits up on his bed again and runs his hand through his hair. Why? Why did the world have to end up like this? 

 

“Alright you freaks! You know the drill!” Yells a guard. Shownu shakes every thought in his mind and gets out of bed. He knew what to do when the guard called for free time. It’s as normal as breathing. He has been doing it for a long time. Shownu walks up to a small drawer that is located in one of the walls. He pulls it open and reaches in. He wraps his hand around a cold metal. He pulls out a high tech collar. Shownu stares at it. All he knew about this collar was that it is supposed to neutralize the user’s power. That, and if things got out of hand it gave them a shock strong enough to knock them out. “Put on the collars to show us you want your free time!” yells the guard again. Shownu positions the metal collar on his neck then clicks it closed. He won’t be able to open it until he gets back in his room which works the same way the collar does. Shownu waits until the glass door opens and a guard leads him out. Shownu is put in line with the other fighters. “We are moving out, if any of you try anything we won’t hesitate to shock you” Shownu looks down at his feet as they walk the hallways. He remembers how everything looks since he has walked these halls for many years. The site of so many people imprisoned has always made him feel uneasy. That’s why he doesn’t look around anymore. It takes Shownu’s group five minutes to get out into a huge open area. It was still enclosed, but it was still pretty big. There are training areas for the people who want to train for the fights. Those take up most of the area unfortunately. Shownu doesn’t much visit those places unless he knows he will be fighting that weekend. Besides the training room there is a cafeteria, a small area that is dedicated to mostly whoever wants to play sports, and lastly a library. No one ever visits the library though so Shownu has chosen that spot as his refuge. He starts walking towards the cafeteria ignoring all the people staring at him. He has gotten used to those stares. He had learned that the stronger someone is the more hate they receive. Since Shownu was last season’s champion and hasn’t lost a match since, being hated comes easy. That’s okay though. He wasn’t brought here to make friends. There is no point if he is just going to end up killing them one day. As Shownu waits in line for food, his thoughts are interrupted by something that caught his attention. He over hears and older man talking to his much younger friend.

 

“You know I was in that war” the old man sullenly said. 

 

“Oh really? What side were you on?” his younger companion asked. The younger guy is about Shownu’s age maybe a year or two younger. 

 

“The Russian army. I was only 18 years old and I thought I was doing the right thing” The older man’s words darkened as he continued speaking. They had grabbed their food and headed towards a table to sit on. Shownu follows them, curiosity winning his better judgement. He sits two chairs away from them. 

 

“Wow, that’s crazy…” said the younger male with wide eyes. Shownu waits for the old man to continue, but he doesn’t. He wants to hear more. He has to. 

 

“What happened? How did everything end up like this?” Shownu asked. Both people turn to him shocked. While the younger male continues to look at him. The older man looked away and sighed.

 

“Young man…this is a story you don’t want to hear” Shownu stares at the sadness on the man’s expression. 

 

“I really do. I want to know what happened…I want to understand how the world got like this” Shownu said steadily. The older man stares back and they stay like that for a while before the old man sighs and runs his hand through his thinning hair.

 

“All right if you really want to hear it” the old man sat closer to Shownu. While the younger male just continued to stare at Shownu curiously. “It all started on April of 2018. The reason for the war is still unknown even to me. I just know that every leader, president, Dictator, Etcetera wanted each other dead. Seven months of so much death and destruction and for what? It didn’t even matter because one day on a cold December…one of those leaders decided it was time to end everything. They launched their nukes, and not wanting to lose this stupid war caused all the other leaders to do the same…” Shownu stared at the old man in disbelief. Why? Why would something like that happen? “It was horrible…I managed to get to safety. I was hidden underground with thousands of other people. The noises I heard…I will never forget. It felt like it would never end, but it eventually did. Everything went quiet. Not a sound besides the cries of people in the bunker” Shownu couldn’t imagine going through that. He should have guessed that this is how the world became so dead. All because of stupid war. “Months had passed before couple other people and I decided to finally scout outside. The lack of water and food in the bunker was a good enough encouragement to go out. The moment I stepped outside…I didn’t recognize were I was. It was like we weren’t on earth anymore. The buildings once standing tall nothing but rubble. No sign of life. Nothing. We searched and didn’t find anything. What struck me as odd was that the radiation in the air wasn’t as deadly as we had thought it would be. Knowing that staying in the bunker was certain death we moved on. Our group walked and walked for months. Our numbers thinned with every day that passed by, but most of us managed to stay alive. We walked until we came across a city. It was as if it was barely touched by the war. We walk in and noticed that we weren’t the only ones here. I was expecting a fight, but no such thing happened. Instead we were welcomed into the city. As months passed more and more people showed up. We had about a population of three big cities in one single city by then. So we built. We built and upgraded for many…many years. Everything was great. It felt like the war had united us finally” The old man stopped and took a deep breathe. Shownu waited. He wants to know everything. “I was wrong. It seemed that everything back fired the day that baby was born. It was the first of us super powered humans” Shownu furrowed his brows in confusion.

 

“Wait…how is that possible? You have powers right? That’s why you are here. How would that baby be the first if you’re older than it?” Shownu asked. The man smiled sadly at Shownu.

 

“You see. That baby had a great power none of us knew about before…it was too late. She had increased the radiation in a way that wasn’t harmful, but changed some of us. Day after day there was a new power popping up. By 2043 a third of the population had these strange powers. The people who had gained said powers where afraid. The non-powered people took that fear and promised to cure them. After months turned to years, they gave up. They did in fact find out the reason how all of this happened. A few days later the child that started all this was killed mercilessly. Days passed after the kid’s death. There seemed to be less adults gaining these powers, but still… it seemed to only happen to new born babies now. Two in every five babies had powers. After she was killed the amount of people with powers decreased, but it never stopped. The people with no powers hates us. We reminded them of monsters created by the thing they hated the most…the war. This war seemed to still haunt them, so we were out casted and imprisoned. Just left there to die. We never fought back because we were afraid” Shownu couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “In 2053 these fights started. Since they didn’t want to invest in creating more cells for us all. They started these games. Taking kids with powers from their families to train them for these fights. If those kids were lucky their parents would have hidden them so they wouldn’t get caught, but there really is no point in running…they always find you” the old man looked over at his younger friend than looked back at Shownu. “And that’s the end of my story kid…Any questions?” Shownu didn’t understand. All these people afraid of what they had become. They were taken advantage of and used. For what? For these sick bastards entertainment.

 

“Why are you still here? If you were 53 when the fights start. How did you survive so long?” Shownu asked.

 

“Ah, that…it’s simple. Since I helped create this city, I was pardoned to be in any fights. I however still have to remain imprisoned in here for the rest of my remaining life” Shownu clenched his fists. How could anyone do that? 

 

“Are you okay?” Shownu turns to the younger male. He forgot he was even there. Shownu for the first time looks at said person. He has a thin face with sharp cheek bones. His hair is an almost black brown and it looks so fluffy. He has a slender body, but what strikes Shownu are the other’s eyes. They are a deep brown and look at him with so much kindness. Shownu freezes. He hasn’t felt anyone look at him like that before. He doesn’t know what to do. So, he just looks away and stares at the food he didn’t eat.

 

“I’m fine…” he says, curtly.

 

“How old are you, kid?” Shownu blinks up at the sudden question from the old man. 

 

“I’m 25…why?” Shownu asks. The old man looks at him for a while before he continues. 

 

“How long have you been here?” Shownu looks down at his food again.

 

“For…for 20 years” Shownu curses himself for stuttering.

 

“How many of those years did you spend alone?” Shownu doesn’t look back up as he remembers all those lonely days. No…he doesn’t need anyone. It will just hurt more if he ends up hurting them. That’s why he can’t have friends. Suddenly he is all too aware of all the people talking and laughing around him. They don’t seem to care about anything Shownu worries about. He doesn’t remember the last time he laughed with someone like that. 

 

“All…20 of them” he said as emotionless as possible. He can’t afford to have to care about another person. He can’t. “I don’t need anyone. In this world it’s everyone for themselves” Shownu says as he gets up and walks away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, let me know what you think about it so far. if i don't answer back i'm sorry :(


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. i went on vacation for like a month and the internet there wasn't good. by the time i got back. i was busy with school sooo yea. anyway i have the next chapter written in my notebook so all i have to do is type it. ill do that eventually.

Everything is so bitter. Shownu thinks as he takes his anger out on a punching bag. He has another fight in two days, so he is prepping in one of the training rooms. He has been worked up a lot more ever since hearing the old man’s story last week. Shownu isn’t one to get angry easily. Frustrated, yes, but not angry. After finding out why he is imprisoned in this hell he hadn’t been able to calm himself down. For years he thought maybe in the past the humans with powers had done something to hurt those who didn’t. He thought maybe he deserved to be in here for being a monster. He should have known better than to listen to the people who brought him here. He should have known that they would lie to him. In the end he was in here just because they are disgusted by them. Thousands of people dying in this game they created just because they thought they were monsters for being different. Shownu has lost 20 years of his life for what? He can’t even remember his life before this hell. The faces of his mom, dad, grandma and friend… all a freaking blur, fading more each day. Shownu stops hitting the punching bag and just looks at his scarred and bruised hands. Everything hurts. He can’t even remember his own name. Those bastards gave him the name he answers to now. Who is he? Maybe he really is the monster they say he is. He has killed so many people in these fights. Never thinking twice. Never…thinking about how they feel. Shownu sinks to his knees. He stares at his now shaking hands. What is he even fighting for? It’s like he is the only one that sees the injustice this all is. Why is everyone okay with being treated like they are nothing? He questions everything as he tries holding back years of neglected emotions. All those years of being alone and mistreated finally getting to him. 

 

“Hey, are you okay?” Shownu freezes from hearing the question. No one ever comes in here while he practices. He stands up and turns around. There, standing in front of the door, was the young guy that was with the old man. He was shocked to see how the other looked genuinely concerned. How long has he been standing there? This guy saw him in a vulnerable state. What should he do? No one has ever seen him like that before. That’s why they’re all afraid of him, but this guy saw that he isn’t the robot everyone thinks he is. 

 

“What do you want?” Shownu says aggressively, but it doesn’t faze the other. Instead he walks closer to him. 

 

“Listen…I know you’re trying to pull off that whole, I’m a tough guy with big muscles persona, but it’s not going to work on me anymore” Shownu didn’t know how to respond. How would he? No one has ever confronted him like this before. “So…are you nervous for the fight?” questions the other male. 

 

“Just tell me what you want or get out” once again Shownu brushes off the male’s question. He turns back to the punching bag and continues what he was doing. 

 

“I’m Lee Minhyuk…what’s your name?” Shownu turns around, baffled by what he heard. This guy has his hand stretched out at Shownu for a hand shake. A welcoming smile on the younger’s face. Shownu sighed. He can’t help but be pulled into that smile. 

 

“I’m…Shownu” they shake hands and the smile grows bigger on the other’s face (somehow). Shownu feebly smiles back. 

 

“Wait! So is Shownu like your actual name? Cause I always thought it was just like a stage name” Minhyuk asks excitedly. 

 

“Yea…it is like a stage name” Shownu answers hoping that the other would leave it at that.

 

“Why won’t you tell me your actual name!?! I told you mine!” the other pouts at him. Shownu just stares at him for a while before he turns away feeling a bit awkward. 

 

“I…I don’t actually know my real name” Shownu was met with silence when he says that. He looks up at Minhyuk and he has a horrified look on his face. 

 

“Oh…that’s…um like really sad” Minhyuk stares at the floor sadly. “Wait, so you’re saying that you’ve been going around calling yourself what our captors named you…” Minhyuk glances back up and at Shownu with the most innocent eyes. Shownu feels slightly out of place, why is this guy so sad about that? He nods at the other anyway. “That’s okay I can give you another name!!” Minhyuk suddenly shouts and Shownu was about ready to run for the door because this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to him. “Hmmmm how about…Roger!!” 

 

“Um…I don’t think that-” Shownu starts.

 

“No, no, no you’re right that doesn’t fit you!”

 

“Minhyuk…I don’t think I need-” 

 

“Oh how about Steven!”

 

“…I…”

 

“No, that’s not good either…man this is hard…” Minhyuk pouts. He studies Shownu up and down. “I got it! How about Bear! There are people named bear…and you-” the younger gets cut off.

 

“Minhyuk!” Shownu grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him a bit “Will you relax?” Minhyuk blinks back at Shownu then nods. “Okay… good. Thank you for trying to give me another name, but I don’t need it. The name I have now is fine, okay?” once again the younger nods and Shownu smiles at him. “God…I can’t believe this” Shownu lets go of Minhyuk and turns back to the punching bag. 

 

“What? Did I do something wrong?” Minhyuk asks. Shownu turns back to him clearly frustrated.

 

“Yea, you can say that” Shownu sighs when the other’s face turns into another pout. 

 

“I’m sorry…I was only trying to be friends with you” Minhyuk says sadly.

 

“I don’t want your friendship. Don’t you understand that?” Shownu says walking past the other towards the door. He needs to leave before the other roots him down again. He can’t. Not now. Shownu feels someone grab him by the arm and turn him around.

 

“Why do you push people away?” Minhyuk asks with tears trying to escape his eyes. Shownu stares at him. Why is this guy so attached to him? 

 

“Why does it matter to you? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly the type of person you want to be around” Shownu says prying the hand off of him. 

 

“Why not?” Minhyuk asks evidently trying to keep Shownu talking.

 

“I was brought here to hurt people” Shownu turns around and faces Minhyuk. “What keeps me from stabbing you in the back once you think I’m your friend?” Shownu asks. Minhyuk looks away.

 

“I don’t know…” Shownu scoffs at his answer and turns to walk away again. “All I know is that you and I both know that what’s going on here is wrong” Shownu freezes. There is silence for a while before Minhyuk starts talking again “I don’t get why everyone else seems so oblivious to everything. It’s like they don’t understand what is happening” Shownu doesn’t turn around, but he can hear the other getting closer. “I could see from the way you asked the old man those questions. I can tell that you are like me” Shownu turns around and faces Minhyuk. “We both want to know what is going on and if it’s really worth the pain we go through every day” Shownu studies the other’s eyes. He sees something in them that no one else had. He didn’t know what it is , but he knows he has seen that look in one other place. He has seen it in himself.

 

“…And what?” Shownu asks. Minhyuk blinks at the question. 

 

“What do you mean?” Minhyuk asks confused. Shownu pushes Minhyuk into the wall. Pinning him down. 

 

“Why does it matter? We can’t do anything about it. So just drop it” Shownu says through gritted teeth. He lets go of the startled male. “I’ve finally accepted my fate” Shownu turns to walk away again. 

 

“I don’t believe that!” Minhyuk shouts behind him. Shownu doesn’t stop walking.

 

“Well believe it. I’m done” Shownu says walking away. “This is the last fight I’ll ever be in”

 

“Wait, listen!!” Minhyuk chases after him, but Shownu doesn’t let up. He keeps on walking. “Please stop!” Shownu stops suddenly and Minhyuk bumps right into him. 

 

“Stop it…” Shownu says through his teeth. 

 

“No, I know the real you Shownu…” Minhyuk never seems fazed by anything Shownu does and it’s starting to bother him.

 

“Listen to me! You don’t know shit about me…” Shownu says pushing the other away from him.

 

“Let me! I want to be your friend. I can see how lonely you really are…” Minhyuk once again doesn’t budge and that is the last straw for Shownu. He grabs the other by the shirt and pins him against the wall.

 

“Shut up! Can’t you fucking see I stay alone by choice. I don’t need you or anyone else to slow me down” Minhyuk blinks up at Shownu. He finally looks afraid and Shownu hates it. The one person that tried to befriend him and he is pushing him away. It hurts, but if he ended up hurting him Shownu wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. “Everything that you think about me is wrong! I’m nothing but a cold blooded killer that doesn’t think of anyone else. So, do me a favor and just hate me” He lets go of Minhyuk and continues to walk away. This time the other doesn’t follow him. 

 

* 

Shownu sits in his quiet spot in the library. He is the only one ever in here. Well him and some other guy that seems to only want to keep to himself as well. Sometimes Shownu feels like he is being watched, but he ignores it. Shownu found this place to be his little hangout since he was ten. It was a quiet place he could collect his thoughts in. The books he read were his get away from reality. Some stories would have a world like his, but there was always a hero in them to save their world. Other books had worlds so magical that sometimes he would envy the characters in the book for living a life of wonder. Now Shownu just sees them as what they are. They are simply stories and that’s what they will always be. He is stuck in a world were all he can do is wait for someone to end his life. He never knows if he’ll make it out alive. 

 

“Hey this is a nice hideout you got here” Shownu looks up from where he is sitting and there he sees Minhyuk moving towards him. 

 

“I thought I got rid of you…” Shownu looks back down at his book and doesn’t look back up even as the other sits next to him. It had been a day since their last encounter. Shownu thought he had scared him off after a day of not seeing him. 

 

“Nah, I’m not that easy to get rid of. You did get me thinking though” Minhyuk says nonchalantly. At that Shownu looks up at him.

 

“Oh really? I hope that thinking involved you staying away from me” Shownu says giving his attention back down at his book. 

 

“Ha no! It was about why you said you prefer to be alone. Do you remember what you said?” Minhyuk asks. Shownu doesn’t answer he just keeps reading his book, or tries too at least. “Well, it sounds to me that you are afraid of getting close to people because you don’t want to hurt them” Shownu flinched at the others words.

 

“What makes you think I’m afraid of hurting anyone?” Shownu asks not looking away from his book. 

 

“The fact that you could have easily beaten me up that whole time, but you didn’t” Minhyuk raises his eyebrows. Shownu sneaks a look and sighs. 

 

“Why does it matter that I don’t use brute strength to get you to shut up?” Shownu asks putting down his book. Minhyuk smiles at Shownu.

 

“It’s not only that though. I’ve watched you fight and never once have you boasted to the crowd of people. Instead you look sad…as if everything you’ve done hurts” Shownu looks down at his scarred hands. 

 

“Listen, Minhyuk…” Shownu looks up at the younger. “I don’t know what you want from me” Minhyuk frowned.

 

“I’ve told you what I want!” Minhyuk sounds desperate. “I want to be there for you. You have a fight tomorrow right? I can help you forget!” Shownu smiles softly at the younger. 

 

“Minhyuk…tomorrow is my last fight” Shownu tells him. The look of bewilderment on Minhyuk’s face is too much for Shownu.

 

“What do you mean?” Minhyuk asks.

 

“I…mean I’m not coming back. I told you I was done. I’m so tired of everything. I just don’t have a reason to live anymore” Shownu simply says. Minhyuk looks like he is on the verge of tears. Shownu doesn’t understand why this guy cares so much. They are just strangers…

 

“I can be your reason! Live for me!” Minhyuk shouts. Shownu can feel his frustration grow. 

 

“Why!?! Why do you care so much about me?” Shownu gets up from his chair. 

 

“I…I don’t know” Minhyuk says with tears running down his face. Shownu feels disappointed by the answer. 

 

“Then why should I stay?” Shownu asks. 

 

“I don’t know…” Minhyuk repeats. 

 

“Then I guess this is goodbye…” Shownu says walking away from the other. 

 

“Please don’t go” Minhyuk holds onto Shownu as he passes by. “I might not know why, but I do know that I need you to stay with me” Shownu furrows his eyebrows. 

 

“Don’t you have other friends? Like that old man” Shownu asks.

 

“The old man died yesterday. He was sick for a long time and he finally died” Minhyuk says sadly. “He was the only other person in here besides you that didn’t feel…cold” Shownu watches as Minhyuk sits back down and trembles. “He took care of me when my brother was killed in a fight. I remember he took me in when he found me crying. I felt so lost and angry. For five years he showed me how to keep on fighting. He said that it’s easier to give up than it is to fight. He told me that 99% of everyone in here has lost who they are. That I was in that 1% of fighters and I should stick with that percentage of people. That’s when you showed up. He told me not to let you lose your spark. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I can’t leave you” Minhyuk cries. Shownu stares at the younger and feels a sudden urge to protect said person. “That’s why I wanted to be your friend. The moment I started to get to know you that reason changed though. You seemed so distant from everyone I didn’t know what to think of you, but you’re so kind…so selfless. You instantly drew me in. The moment I saw that side of you. I grew attached like a stupid lost puppy desperate to be loved. I know you’re hurting and I can’t let you die. I won’t let you die until I can help heal those wounds you have in your heart!” Minhyuk looks up at Shownu.

 

“Minhyuk, you-” Shownu starts, but Minhyuk gets up and stands in front of Shownu. 

 

“I’m not taking no for an answer” Shownu studies those brown eyes. He feels something grow warm in his heart. 

 

“Fine…but don’t say I didn’t warn you” Shownu smiles when Minhyuk practically lights up. A huge smile on his face.

 

*** 

 

The crowd of people cheer as the two opponents entered the arena. Two people fighting for two different things. One fighting for the sheer glory of winning and the other to go back to the safety of his friend waiting for him to come back. The one fighting to kill doesn’t value life. They don’t value themselves or the people around them. They don’t see what life is until it’s too late. They seem to wake up from this dream and finally see all the injustice in this world. They look up as if for the first time and stare at the people watching. As these strangers pick the way they die. That fighter who was once clouded by greed and the feeling of victory now wonder why the world ended up like this. As they reach their end they wonder where they would be if they weren’t here? A thought that doesn’t matter anymore. A thought that will never reach anyone ever because the fighter that once fought for glory ,now lies on the ground lifeless as the crowd above him cheer for their death. The winner of the match just watches. They watch until they are taken away. They look back one more time as the medical team drag the dead body away. They feel dread as they are taken away. They apologize for what they have done, but they have someone waiting for them to come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know how you guys are liking this so far. it really helps to keep writing when i know people are enjoying it


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has me dead. I'm sorry for the inconsistent chapters. Hope you enjoy this one.

Three weeks had passed since Minhyuk had befriended Shownu (since Minhyuk had practically forced himself into Shownu’s life). With all honesty, the more time Shownu spent with the other, the more he felt this irreplaceable bond with him. As the days turned to weeks, Shownu noticed how much more everyone stared. He wasn’t bothered by it though. They can stare all they want. He understood that it was an odd thing to see him being followed by an excited and loud person. Shownu, who is very quiet and reserved, hanging out with someone the complete opposite of him. The two were quite a sight to see together. Along with the stares came the whispers. Again, Shownu didn’t care about the whispers back when he was alone, he really doesn’t care about them now. Let them talk. Cause that’s all they do is talk. It not like anything will change. Shownu can’t leave the other’s side even if he wanted to. Minhyuk isn’t leaving his side. The brunette made that very clear. Shownu didn’t mind anymore anyway. He enjoyed the other’s company now. Minhyuk made every day in this hell…enjoyable. He just made life easier for Shownu and he gave him a reason to live. He will always be grateful for that. 

 

“Shownu!” Minhyuk waved a hand in front of him. Shownu blinked out of his trance and stared at the other. “Have you not been listening to me this whole time?” He asked, annoyed. Shownu smiled at him guiltily. 

 

“I was lost in thought, I’m sorry” he said to the agitated male. Minhyuk sighed and his face relaxed back to normal. 

 

“Well, anyway, what I was saying is that I’ll meet you at the library in a bit. I have to go do something real quick” Minhyuk said as he stopped walking. Shownu stopped too and turned towards the other. 

 

“Okay” was all he said and continued to walk.

 

“That’s it? You aren’t even going to ask what I’m going to do!?!” Minhyuk shouted exasperated. 

 

“Ah okay. What are you going to do?” Shownu asked.

 

“It’s a secret” Minhyuk said as he walked away. Shownu stared at the other for a while before he turned away to walk towards the library. Once inside, he went to sit at his usual table in the very back corner. When thirty minutes passed he decided to just take a nap as he waited. When he woke up fifteen minutes later and there was still no sign of Minhyuk, he decided to do something else. He shook off his sleepiness and got up to look for a book to read instead. He stopped at the thriller section, feeling in the mood for something spooky. Shownu picked a book that peaked his interest and headed back to his table. He stopped when he heard something fall. From the corner of his eye he managed to see someone hide behind one of the bookshelves. Shownu turned to the spot and walked toward it. 

 

“Hey, I know you’re back there” He said into the seemingly empty library. There was a small gasp heard from the one of the bookshelves. Shownu takes a step closer. He saw someone sitting on the floor with their hands clasped around their mouth. “Do you need something?” Shownu asked the trembling person on the floor. Deep brown eyes stared up at him in shock. Silence loomed in the library for seconds before the other guy broke into a run. “Wait!” Shownu shouted as he ran after him. Why was he running after this guy? Shownu had recognized him, this guy was the only other person that would be in the library besides himself and Minhyuk. It was just instinct to chase after him. As they ran through the bookshelves Shownu had managed to grab said person before he ran out of the library. 

 

“Oh God, I’m sorry. I’m sorry…please don’t hurt me” pleaded the male as he struggled to let himself free from Shownu’s hold. The guy was much smaller and thinner than him, so it was relatively easy to keep him from escaping. From Shownu’s observation, the guy seemed to be younger than him. By how many years? He couldn’t tell. “Let go of me!” The younger said as he continued to struggle against Shownu’s hold. It didn’t faze Shownu as he pulled the younger back deeper into the library. He didn’t get farther than a couple feet when he suddenly felt sharp pain on his right arm. Shownu let go from the sudden pain, but quickly grabbed the other by the waist before he could run away. 

 

“Did you just freaking bite me?!? What kind of a weirdo are you?” Shownu said as he practically carried the other male back to his spot in the library. 

 

“I’m the weirdo? Who reacts like that after getting bit!” the younger countered as he continued to struggle. 

 

“Will you stop struggling? I only want to talk to you”

 

“The last person who said that to me hurt me!”

 

“Okay fine!” Shownu let go of the male. He winced when the younger fell to the floor with a loud thud. “Oh…Shit…sorry about that” Shownu kneeled down to help the other. When they made eye contact Shownu couldn’t help but smile fondly. The guy was definitly younger than him and Minhyuk and had chubbier cheeks. He had orange brown hair with a hint of pink highlights, and soft brown eyes (almost like staring into a puppies eyes). Those eyes softened more as the younger pouted up at Shownu as he rubbed the spot he fell on. “Are you okay?” Shownu asked as he offered the other a hand up, but instead the younger pushed it away. He got up on his own and walked passed Shownu, but not before giving him a dirty look though. Shownu didn’t chase after him this time. He just starred in confusion. What the hell just happened?

 

*

“Wow, you’re kidding me right!?!” Minhyuk practically shouted. Shownu sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. It was the next day and he had just finished telling Minhyuk what had happened yesterday. “Oh my God…you’re actually being serious” Shownu groaned at the male’s reaction. “You seriously chased after this guy? And then picked him up? To keep him from escaping…” Shownu sunk lower into his chair.

 

“Yea, I did. I didn’t know what else to do” Minhyuk burst out laughing and Shownu wished he could just disappear into the chair. 

 

“Shownu, I know it might not be weird for you because you probably haven’t met anyone bigger than you, but the guy probably wanted to get away from you because it was like a bear was chasing him. I mean the guy bit you, and hard. That should have been your first clue to maybe stop?” Minhyuk looks at Shownu amused. “Why did you even chase after him in the first place?” Minhyuk blinked at him. Shownu sat back up in his chair. 

 

“I don’t know…” Shownu answered as he looked down at the table. Why did he chase after the guy? 

 

“That’s not an answer Shownu. There has to be a reason why…I mean I don’t believe you of all people will just chase someone just for the hell of it” Minhyuk stated. Shownu sighed for the hundredth time. He closed his eyes and tried to remember why he had the instinct to run after the kid. He remembered seeing him poke his head out from behind the bookshelf. The guy looked like he…Shownu opens his eyes. 

 

“He looked like he wanted something…” Shownu said as he looks up at Minhyuk. The other tilted his head in confusion.

 

“What do you mean? What did he want?” 

 

“I don’t know! I only saw him from the corner of my eye” Shownu answered in frustration. “He just looked…I don’t know” Shownu ran a hand through his hair. “I blame you for all of this” he grumbled. 

 

“What! What do I have to do with any of this!?!” Minhyuk shouted. 

 

“I don’t know, but you have something to do with it” he grumbled again. 

“You can’t just say it’s my fault and not give me a valid reason n why” Minhyuk pouted. 

 

“Oh my God…I grew soft ever since you came into my life” Shownu said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

 

“Is that such a bad thing?” Minhyuk asked cautiously.

 

“Yes! No…I don’t know” Shownu hufeds. “All I know is that I would’nt be in this situation because I wouldn’t have cared” he placed his head on the table and heard Minhyuk chuckle.

 

“Shownu you know caring about people isn’t a bad thing right?” Minhyuk said softly. Shownu groaned. “I know this is all new to you and it’s a bit confusing. I think you should try maybe talking to him?” 

 

“What part of I don’t want to get close to anyone else don’t you understand? “Shownu said with his forehead still pressed against the table. 

 

“Well, I find that hard to believe because you just told me you care about this guy more than you want to admit. I still don’t get why, but I’m sure you have a good reason why. I mean I’m just guessing because you don’t seem to want to tell me!” Minhyuk yelled the last part next to Shownu’s ear. “That’s okay though don’t worry about it. I just thought we were, you know, passed keeping secrets” Shownu sighed loudly. It’s only been three weeks since they started hanging out and Minhyuk can already read him like an open book. 

 

“Fine, I’ll tell you…” he herd Minhyuk give a victory ‘yes’. “At first I chased him because I wanted to know why he was spying on me” Shownu paused. 

 

“Wait, I thought that he was just starring at you” Shownu could hear the confusion in Minhyuk’s voice.

 

“No, well it was the first time I caught him. Other times I could hear he was close by, but I never saw him”

 

“That’s a little creepy” 

 

“Will you let me finish?”

 

“Oh yea, sorry. Please continue”

 

“Thank you. Well, see that’s the reason why I chased after him at first, to ask if he was spying on me. The moment I caught him, he pleaded for me not to hurt him. The way he tried to struggle free too. It was like he had been in a situation like that before and I don’t know. I guess I felt…bad” Shownu finished and waited for Minhyuk to speak. 

 

“Awe, Shownu that’s so sweet!” Minhyuk cooed.

 

“Will you be quiet?” Shownu protested. To his surprise everything did go quiet. He was tempted to lift his head off the table, but he decided against it. That is until he heard a small ‘hey’. 

 

Shownu snapped his head up. Minhyuk had already turned around, because standing right behind him was the kid from yesterday.

 

“Hello!” Minhyuk greeted the other cheerfully. Shownu just stared up at the other. How long had he been standing there? Minhyuk turned to look at Shownu then back at the younger. Realization could be seen in his eyes as he smiled up at the guy. “Oh so you’re the guy who bit Shownu” the younger stiffened more than he was already. 

 

“Oh…um…yea, I am” the younger scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Speaking of that, I just wanted…” the younger was interrupted by Minhyuk.

 

“Awe, you really are as cute as Shownu described you to be” Shownu groans and sinks in his chair by Minhyuk’s words. How could he get his friend to stop talking?

 

“I’m not cute…” pouted the other in a mix of insult and embarrassment. 

 

“Okay, sorry didn’t mean to hit a nerve” Minhyuk held his hands up in defense. “My name is Lee Minhyuk. What’s your name?” Minhyuk asked, more serious now. No answer was given though. Instead, there was awkward silence. “Ah, not much of a talker huh?” again no answer. “Well, neither is Shownu. You two will get along great. Okay you can sit here” Minhyuk got out of his chair and forced the younger into it. Shownu blinked up in confusion at Minhyuk and then at the younger.

 

“Minhyuk what are you…”Shownu started to ask, but was interrupted. 

 

“Ah, I have to go do something. I’ll be back in a bit” Minhyuk simply said and started walking away. “You two have fun!” Minhyuk waved a hand at them while he walked away. Shownu was too stunned to do anything. So he just watched has Minhyuk disappeared through the bookshelves. He felt the awkwardness creep up on him when he turned towards the younger. He didn’t know what to do. How does he start a conversation?

 

“Um…all I wanted to say was sorry for biting you” Shownu looks at the younger. He seemed just as awkward as he felt. 

 

“Uh don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that in the first place” Shownu responded. They sat in silence again. Shownu was still new to the whole making conversation with people thing. Sure he had gotten better since he met Minhyuk, but the other did most (if not all) of the talking. Shownu watched how the younger shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Shownu…” the younger looked up at him. “That’s my name. Although I think you already knew that because Minhyuk was saying it…a lot” Shownu rubbed his face uncomfortably. "What’s your name?” he asked. 

 

“My name?” asked the other. Shownu nodded in response. “They call me I.M.” Shownu furrowed his eyebrows at the strange name. 

 

“Who are ‘they’?” Shownu cautiously asked. 

 

“The…the scientists wh—who made…” I.M. froze in fear “…I-I c-can’t say anymore…” He paniced. 

 

“Hey. Hey it’s okay. Just breathe for me. Relax a bit” Shownu leaned over the table to try and calm the male, but he flinched away. 

 

“N-No you don’t understand!” I.M. abruptly got out of his chair. Shownu stood too and grabed a hold of the younger’s hand. “They’ll hurt me” he whimpered. Shownu should have stopped there. He should have seen the evident fear radiating off the other and stopped, but he couldn’t. His curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know everything this kid knew. So he pushed him. 

 

“No one here is going to hurt you I.M. please tell me who these scientists are” I.M Shook his head. Why is he so afraid? And why did Shownu have the urge to protect him? He let Minhyuk in his life because he wasn’t mindless like everyone else in this hell whole. He was aware of the things that was happening around him. I.M is just like him. This kid felt fear for his own life. It didn’t look like he wanted to fight like everyone else. I.M is different just like Minhyuk, but why? Why did Shownu feel like he needed to protect them both from this world? 

 

“I…can’t” is all I.M said. Shownu sighed and let go of his hand. I.M didn’t move but he kept his gaze on the table. 

 

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have pushed it” 

 

“It’s okay…” they fall silent again. 

 

“I should probably find Minhyuk. Make sure he hasn’t gotten himself into trouble” Shownu sai as he startsed getting up from his chair to leave. 

 

“Please, don’t hate me…” Shownu paused and turnd to look at the younger. I.M still had his back turned and was looking at the table. 

 

“Why would I hate you?” Shownu walked closer as his instinct to protect became stronger. 

 

“I-I don’t know…everyone hates me for some reason” it hurt Shownu with how casual I.M says that. “If I tell you about them, they will hurt me. They always hurt me” I.M turned towards him with sadness in his eyes. “Will…will you be my friend like you are with the other guy if I-I tell you or would you still hate me?” Shownu just stared and didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. Why did this guy think he hated him? Did Shownu do something wrong? Had he made it seem like he hated the guy? I.M frowned at the serious expression on Shownu’s face. “I…I’m sorry I asked for too much didn’t I?” fear clouded the younger’s eyes again. His whole body started to tremble as he apologized. Shownu watched how the younger panicked. Something was wrong, Shownu thought as he reached out to the younger. “NO STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Shownu froze. I.M fell to his knees and clutched his head as if he was in pain. “STAY AWAY. IT HURTS! EVERYTHING HURTS! STOP IT!” he screamed. Out of nowhere Minhyuk came running in and also froze at the sight of the younger. 

 

“What the hell did you do to him Hyung!?!” Minhyuk turned toward Shownu accusingly. 

 

“What? I-I didn’t do anything…he just started freaking out!” Shownu said, still staring at the screaming male. 

 

“Hey, Hey kid! What is wrong with you?” Minhyuk tried to put a hand on I.M, but the younger recoiled like he had been burned. 

 

“Please don’t hurt me…” the screams turned into sobs, but the younger was still clutching his head in pain. 

 

“Shownu do something…the kid is really going to drown if you don’t help” Minhyuk told him, desperation in his voice. 

“I-I don’t know what to do…” Shownu watched as I.M curled up in a ball and choked on his broken sobs. 

 

“Do something! He won’t let me anywhere near him” Shownu didn’t know what to do. He had never been good with his words. I.M started shaking violently and it scared Shownu. This wasn’t normal. What was wrong with him? Who caused him to hurt this much? Shownu wanted to help, but how? How could he help him? He shakily reached out for I.M, and to his surprise he didn’t recoil like when Minhyuk tried touching him. Shownu kneeled down and pulled the younger in a tight (hopefully) comforting hug. I.M tensed and struggled to break free. He screamed and bit him, but Shownu didn’t let go. He held on as if it was the only thing keeping I.M there.

 

“Hey…I.M was it? Remember how I told you my name is Shownu?” he asked softly into the younger’s ear. Shownu didn’t get an asker back, but he didn’t expect one. “That’s not my real name. The people who brought me here gave me that name. Just like they gave you the name I.M” the screaming stopped. It was replaced with quiet sobs. He took that as a sign to continue. “I don’t remember what my real name is. I don’t even remember who I was before I came here. All I remember is that I was six years old when I was taken away from my family” He paused to take a shaky breath. It’s always been hard for him to talk about his past. The only other person who knows about it is Minhyuk. Yet here he is, about to tell someone he just met, his story. “I don’t even know if my family is still alive or not. I don’t know if they even worry about me. If they even care that I’m gone. I don’t even remember what they look like” the struggling stopped and Shownu could feel the younger start to relax. “All I remember is waking up in a brightly lit room lying on a table surrounded by people in white coats. I was…so scared. I found out later on that they were a lot more interested in me than anyone else they brought in. I didn’t know why. I guessed it was because of my power because they tested it. These people forced me to train my power, they wanted to know my limitations. They made me fight day and night until that was the only thing I knew how to do. I hated it. Not a day passed where anyone looked at me like I wasn’t some kind of monster. They called me a cheater for having the powers and training that I had. Eventually I grew numb of all emotion. I figured I didn’t need it with what we were forced to do. When they put me in my first fight I dominated the other opponent. I felt nothing when I watched him die. I just fought to survive and nothing else. That was, until I didn’t want to fight anymore. I met Minhyuk when I was so close to losing hope in everything. He helped me get back on my feet” Shownu finished while looking at Minhyuk and smiling. The other smiled back then looked at the younger.

 

“Wh-what is your power?” I.M hiccups from Shownu’s shoulder.

 

“I can manipulate the ground. Form it into any shape I want. It takes a lot of focus. So the longer I use it the more it drains my energy. It also depends on how big the ground I manipulate is” I.M noded. Then shifted his head to look at Minhyuk. 

 

“You only have one? How did you get it” I.M asks. Shownu looked over at Minhyuk again. The other mirroring his confusion. 

 

“I was born with them like everyone else, and I think everyone only has one power I.M” Shownu answered, a little taken aback by the question. 

 

“What about you?” I.M asked Minhyuk. 

 

“You mean what’s my story?” I.M nodded and Minhyuk kneeled next to him. “My brother and I were brought here when I was 10. I … lost him in the fights when I was 20. He promised me he would be okay” Minhyuk smiled bitterly. “I should have known I would have lost him the moment those words left his mouth. I saw my brother die that day. I still hear the screams sometimes” Shownu reached out to gently squeeze Minhyuk’s shoulder. He had heard this story already, of course, and he knew it’s still hard for the other to talk about. “I felt lost after losing my brother and would always get into fights with the other fighters. I thought maybe one of them could end me so I didn’t have to live without my brother. One day Mr. Markov found me beaten and bloody. He took pity on me and cared for me. For five years Mr. Markov taught me to be strong. He said that in a world like this we have to go through losses, but we have to make sure not to give up. To just keep going to matter how hard it gets, or in his old man words, it’s like walking through a storm. Eventually you’ll get to the end and will be mesmerized by what you see” Minhyuk said, imitating a wise old man. Shownu heard a small chuckle come from the younger in his embrace and couldn’t help smiling himself. “When Mr. Markov died that was when I met Shownu. He had told me that Shownu was special and to hold on to him and here I am attached to him like a leech. Oh, and I haven’t had to fight yet, but it’s only a matter of time before I do” Minhyuk shrugged the last part out. 

 

“What about before you came here?” I.M asked and Shownu could see Minhyuk stiffen. 

 

“We…We had a pretty hard time out there just like we did here. It was only me and my brother. Our parents were killed by…people. My brother never told me by who. We took things to survive. My brother used my power to get things like money. You see, I can conduct electricity. So, I could pretty much short circuit any machine. We were caught eventually” Minhyuk once again shrugged. I.M gently pushed himself away from Shownu. He sat on his heels and looked up at both Shownu and Minhyuk. 

 

“What does the sky look like?” He asked, looking away shyly. “I’ve never seen the outside world, but I’ve read from books that it’s really beautiful” Shownu saw Minhyuk shift uncomfortably. “Is it as pretty as it is in the books?” 

 

“I’m sorry I.M, but that’s not how our world looks like anymore” Minhyuk replied. Shownu couldn’t help but feel disappointed along with I.M. It’s not like he didn’t know. Minhyuk had told him before that the world is broken, but he couldn’t help but feel that disappointment in there not being a better place out there. Instead, being out there isn’t any better than being in here. 

 

“Oh…I see...that sucks. Thank you for sharing your stories with me” I.M slouched. “I think I can tell you mine now” Shownu reached out to touch the younger’s shoulder gently.

 

“You really don’t have to if you don’t want to. I shouldn’t have pushed you to say anything” Shownu simply sid and I.M shook his head. 

 

“I trust you guys…you told me your stories. I think I should finally tell someone mine” he replied. Shownu and Minhyuk exchanged looks then turned back to the younger. They both nod at him to continue. “Well, first things first I’m 22 years old and I was born here” Minhyuk gasped and put a hand over his mouth. Shownu stared at him in confusion. 

 

“Oh god…don’t tell me. Are you one of them?” 

 

“What are you talking about, one of who?” Shownu asked. 

 

“Mr. Markov told me about the people who were born…in labs. It’s a sad story” Minhyuk said, looking at I.M with so much sadness. 

 

“Born in labs?” Shownu turned to I.M and the younger averted his eyes.

 

“I’m…I’m an experiment created by scientists” I.M said and Shownu felt anger. 

 

“You’re a what? What kind of experiment?” Shownu said agitatedly.

 

“You guys are dying out. The humans with powers I mean. They want to continue the games so they started playing around with the dead fighters’ DNA. They took non powered humans off the streets and experimented on them. I was born from two failed test subjects. I think they killed them. I don’t know…”

 

“What do you mean taking people off the street? How does no one notice?” Shownu asked annoyed. 

 

“I…they said they were people who didn’t have families and wouldn’t be missed anyway. They said doing this is cleansing their city” I.M’s voice shook from Shownu’s harsh tone. 

 

“What did they do to you?” he asked more gently.

 

“They…They I don’t really remember. I just remember that it hurt and I wanted it to stop. They would inject me with things and it hurt, but it knocked me out. Everything hurt” I.M shook again and Shownu pulled him back in a hug.

 

“You really don’t remember?” Minhyuk asked.

 

“I really don’t know what they did to me. All I know is that sometimes they would put me to sleep and I’d wake up with stitches. I-I think they would cut me open…I don’t know” I.M wrapped his arms around his body as if to protect it. Shownu didn’t have to ask. He could see the deep scars on the guy’s body. The younger’s neck and collar bone were covered in them. He didn’t want to imagine how his torso looked like. “I was the only one to have been a success at the moment, but I was still imperfect. They managed to give me two powers. One from my mother who could control water and the other from my father who could heal wounds. I didn’t turn out exactly the way they wanted so they hit me for being a failure” Shownu bit his lip to keep his anger from leaving him. 

 

“What exactly did they want?” Minhyuk asked, his voice shaking from restraining his own anger. 

 

“I think they wanted to create a fighter that has no human left in them. To create something that’s sole purpose is to kill. Like I said, they managed to give a human power, but I was a failure in the other part. I didn’t want to fight, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I was scared. They were angery that they created such a failure so before they tossed me out and put me in here they hurt me…they scarred me to remind me of what I really am.” I.M croaked out. He pulled himself away from Shownu to hold out his arm, pulling back his sleeve. Shownu saw red with how angry he was. There were scars on the younger’s arm that read ‘Failure’ ‘Freak’ ‘Useless’. The younger began to sob again and Shownu pulled him back into a hug. Shownu was surprised that Minhyuk was the one who broke down with anger first. He could hear him pushing down bookshelves and flipping tables. He ignored his own anger for the sake of the sobbing male wrapped in his arms. He will never let go. Never let anything happen to I.M again. How could anyone do this to someone? Especially someone like this kid. After all he has been through he still didn’t want to fight back. He still didn’t become the monster those bastards wanted him to be. 

 

“It’s not true. None of those words written on your arm are true I.M” Shownu stated. “They are wrong! You are strong. For all those years of suffering you didn’t once lose who you were. Not once did they break you to become the monster they wanted you to be. They were angry because you fought back against them. They couldn’t win against you” Shownu loudly exclaimed. “I won’t let those bastards or anyone hurt you or Minhyuk. I won’t let them…” He felt Minhyuk wrap his arms around them. I.M finally hugged Shownu back.

 

“Thank you”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if anyone still reads this


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. Hello. Hello. so here is a chapter doesn't mean I'm back to writing...i know i suck dont I? i do. i really do. I'll TRY to Write every Friday if i don't have to much homework. feel free to yell at me if i don't post after every two weeks. i need someone to babysit me apparently. Well anyway enjoy? i haven't proof read it yet so if the tenses change constantly im sorry. my first language is english, but i always have trouble with that...by tenses in me past and present tense.

Shownu is in his room sitting on his bed. Staring intently at the television screen in front of him. He wasn’t fighting in the arena today. Shownu isn’t due to fight until next week. On times like this he stays locked up like everyone else forced to watch the four people that did have to fight today. Normally he would have ignored the flickering television that only turns on during said fights. It wasn’t his idea of fun watching two people trying to tear each other apart. This time though it’s a different story. He was drawn in to the screen because of one of the fighters. This specific guy has caught his attention unlike any of the other fighters before him. Shownu watches a tall thin male avoiding the fight like his life depended on it (which it does), but it wasn’t like he was avoiding it out of fear. It was clear the male’s opponent was much bigger (girth wise) and had an advantage over the much thinner male if they were to be in a physical fight. To anyone else’s eyes this would seem unfair, but fairness doesn’t matter in a game of death. However that isn’t the reason Shownu has become interested in watching this particular fight. The taller male had been acting differently. He isn’t the rage induced mindless person that normally set foot in the arena (besides himself). The taller male pleads the other fight to stop, but it was no use as it didn’t seem to reach the rage induce opponent. It was like the taller male was screaming into a glass box were no one could hear him. Shownu simply watched as the bigger fighter doesn’t even hesitate to try and hurt the other. The taller male seemed to be thinking more rationally than the bigger male. The much bigger male has gone full savage just like everyone else Shownu fights against. It was like watching a caged animal tearing anything apart that got in its way. Finally using his powers the bigger fighter claps his hands together (The man can make a sonic boom by a simple clap or snap of his hands) the taller male avoids the boom just in time.

“OH THAT WAS AN AMAZING DODGE FROM HYUNGWON!” Shownu hears the announcer scream. “Jose seems to be struggling to hit his opponent and Hyungwon isn’t giving much of a show! He has yet to use his powers against Jose!” So Hyungwon was the taller male’s name? Shownu zones out the rest of what announcer says and focuses on Hyungwon. The taller continues to try and plea to Jose. A couple minutes of the same thing happening passes and Shownu notices the walls of the arena starting to close in. Probably the work of the game directors who thought the fight wasn’t interesting enough. As the walls close in it was getting harder for Hyungwon to avoid the sonic booms Jose sent his way. At one point the walls stop, but the taller male had nowhere to go. He couldn’t dodge the sonic boom that was sent towards him this time. It sent him flying backwards causing him to crash hard against the wall. Shownu scowls as the crowd cheers loudly at the scene that just occurs. Hyungwon coughs viciously from having the air knocked out of him. He shakily gets up and faces Jose, who is walking closer to him with a wicked smile on his face. Shownu knows that a close up attack from Jose would be the end of Hyungwon. 

“Only one can make it out of here alive…” sneers Jose. “…and I would prefer it to be me!” Shownu watches has Jose suddenly loses his smile. “Wh-What…a..aa..are…yyy…” Jose clutches his throat and coughs violently. It was like the air was being sucked out of his lungs. Shownu looks over at Hyungwon and instantly knew exactly what was happening. The air around Hyungwon was going crazy. Whipping around the taller male’s hair and clothes, while everything around Jose was still. Shownu knew at that moment that Hyungwon can manipulate the air around him. That was his power. It only took a couple minutes for Jose to collapse motionless. For a while only silence was heard until the announcer broke it.

“WOW THAT WAS SURE A SUSPENSFUL FIGHT! WASN’T IT?” the crowd cheers. “We will take a little break to check up on the loser” the last thing Shownu saw before they went to commercials was the look of disbelief on Hyungwon’s face. Who is he? Why is Shownu suddenly so intrigued by this guy? Several minutes pass as Shownu’s head races with questions. “We are back and have confirmed the statues of Jose. Ladies and Gentlemen the fighter has died in battle!” loud cheers were heard once again. Shownu closes his eyes and silently mourns for the life lost today. “The winner is Hyungwon!” more cheers from the crowd. For a split second the camera turns towards Hyungwon and he didn’t look happy at all. The taller male has his head down tears silently slipping from his eyes. Shownu suddenly gets that feeling in his gut again. The same one he got when he met I.M and Minhyuk. It was an overwhelming feeling to…protect. 

*

The next day Shownu was walking around in the court yard with Minhyuk and I.M trailing behind him.

“Tell me again what we are doing? Because I’m tired of following you around like a baby duck” I.M complains in his deep voice. Shownu sighs and stops abruptly causing both males to bump into him. “Ouch! Why the heck did you stop like that!?!” Shouts the younger as he rubs his nose. Shownu just smiles as he hears I.M squeak as Minhyuk decides to mercilessly start tickling him. It’s been two weeks since the younger has shown up in his life. At first I.M was quiet and reserved, but that made sense. What I.M went through Shownu was amazed the guy still wanted human contact. The younger opened up to Shownu first and was very cautious around Minhyuk. Eventually Minhyuk got I.M to be comfortable around him too, but that was it. I.M only seemed comfortable around them. Anytime they left him alone they would find him a trembling mess. Shownu has discovered that when I.M was confident enough to be himself he was mature, but at the same time he wasn’t. As Shownu is just overall much quieter and less expressive, while Minhyuk was the complete opposite of that. I.M was a mix of both of them (with a hint of being extra). He is a nice addition to their small group. Shownu smiles as I.M has now started lecturing Minhyuk about how people really don’t like being tickled and that it is considered torture. He just stared at the two argue until something in the distance distracts him from his bickering friends. From across the room he makes eye contact with a white blonde male. Shownu glares at the male because of what he was wearing. A pale grey uniform decorated his body. The guard’s uniform and Shownu doesn’t really have nice feelings about them. This guard seemed younger than the other ones he has seen around. The white blonde guard snorts before he walks away towards the exit. “Hello! Earth to Mr. Shownu!” I.M waves his hand in front of him. Shownu blinks out of his faze and looks at the younger. “Oh Hey, welcome back! While you were away I was brutally attacked by this guy” He exclaims gesturing towards Minhyuk.

“What where you looking at Shownu?” Minhyuk asks looking at the place the guard once stood.

“Ah…Nothing important…just trying to tone you guys out” Shownu replies with a smile. It wasn’t really a lie on his behalf because nothing did happen. “Minhyuk you said you know most of everyone here right?” Shownu asks, changing the subject.

“Oh, yea I know a lot of people here. Granted they are all a bunch of lifeless assholes, but yea I know about them. Why do you ask?”

“Do you happen to know anything about Hyungwon?” Shownu asks and Minhyuk tilts his head in thought.

“You mean the guy that fought yesterday? He caught your attention huh?” Minhyuk asked and Shownu just nods. “Well, from what I know he is the son of one of the wealthiest families here. Well you know not here, but out there in the city. Anyway his mom donates her money to the fights. She is a sponsor? I think that’s what that is called. Anyway the guy was put in here pretty recently. I think about a month ago. Poor guy was instantly put in the fights and to make it worse I think his mom put him in” Minhyuk says sadly. “You’re looking for him because of what he did during the fight yesterday huh?” Shownu nods again. 

“He is different”

“I think so too” Minhyuk sighs. “I don’t know where to find him though” he admits. 

“Hey…”I.M grabs onto Shownu’s arm and shakes it to get his attention. Shownu looks down at the younger. “I think I found him” I.M points across the room and sure enough there was Hyungwon. He was being lead towards a door by guards. They stop just in front of the door and it opens revealing a middle aged woman accompanied by the same white blonde guard Shownu saw before. 

“Come one lets get closer to see what they’re saying” Shownu says and starts walking towards the two surrounded by guards. When they got closer they stop just far enough to not look suspicious. Shownu listens.

“How useless can you be? Is this really the thanks I get for keeping your monstrous self in my house hold for 23 years?” the woman sneers. Hyungwon just scuffs at her.

“Yea thank you for keeping me locked up in the basement and only coming down to feed me the sad excuse of what you called food. Oh, and also thank for taking me out just to lock me back in a different place” Hyungwon says with malice. The women didn’t seem fazed.

“I didn’t have to feed you, you disgusting beast”

“I fucking wish you hadn’t. Dying would have been better than knowing I’m the son of self-absorbed bitc…” Hyungwon didn’t get to finish his sentence as he gets slapped hard across the face. 

“Don’t you disrespect me as if you are on my level, all you are and ever will be is a waste of air” the woman turns to leave. “I hope you die a horrible death for wasting 23 years of my time” She says as she exits the door. “Teach him a lesson” was the last thing she says to a guard as she disappears through closed doors. Two guards were left. One of them being the white blonde haired male and an older guard. The older guard punches Hyungwon hard on the stomach, causing the taller male to fall on his knees. Another hit from the older guard and Hyungwon was down on the ground, but that didn’t stop the guard. He starts kicking the thin male. Shownu watches in horror. He couldn’t do anything. He could feel Minhyuk tense up and take a step forward. Shownu stops him and shakes his head at the younger. Shownu then turns his attention to the white blonde guard and couldn’t decipher the expression he had on. The blonde glances at Shownu then back at the other guard. 

“Okay that’s enough! He is still in the fights this weekend. As much as I would get a thrill watching you kill him. You can’t. Come on lets go I’ve been in this shit whole for too long” the blonde guard grabs the older one and drags him out, not before turning back to look at Shownu. They both stare at each other again. The Blonde looks away then walks out and locks the door behind him. Shownu chose to ignore the situation and runs to Hyungwon. He kneels next to the seemingly younger male and checks him. 

“Oh my god…is he okay?” Minhyuk asks also checking up on him. 

“I-I don’t know…” Shownu replies. 

“That fucking bitch! Who does she think she is! I…I can’t believe the things she just said” Minhyuk angrily paces back and forth.

“Why? Would she do that? I thought your mom was supposed to…to protect their kids?” I.M barely whispers. Shownu looks over at the younger male and could instantly tell that this was too much for him to handle. 

“I.M I need you to calm down a bit and go get me some wet paper towels from the bathroom” the younger looked hesitate to be going alone. “I promise we will be right here when you get back” Shownu reassured the male. I.M nodded and scurried off. Shownu then turns towards Minhyuk. “Minhyuk…why would she do that to her own son?” Shownu asks because he is with I.M on this, wasn’t a mother supposed to protect her child? 

“…Shownu, she is just like every human…they all assume we are just monsters. Her son was no exception” Minhyuk says sadly. Shownu just looks down at Hyungwon and the urge to hold the male and protect him from the world grew bigger.

 

** 

 

“Are you sure he will be okay? He looks kind of…uh messed up. Like I’m amazed he held up so much. He doesn’t look like the sturdiest person” I.M states the last part.

“Well, he isn’t dead…so I uh guess he’ll be okay?” Minhyuk replies unsure of his answer. They both turn towards Shownu for an actual answer.

“Nothing seems to be broken so that’s a good sign at least…” Shownu tells them. They sit in silence staring at the male lying on the table in front of them. They had brought Hyungwon back to the library to clean and bandage up his wounds as best as they could. Luckily nothing needed stitches or was broken so that was a win in their book. It was mostly a small cut here and there. What the poor guy was going to have was bruises. Those are going to hurt like hell; it took about 20 minutes for Hyungwon to start waking up. It had snapped everyone back to reality. Hyungwon groans as he opens his eyes. The moment he focuses he locks eyes with Shownu. They stare at each other for a moment before the younger’s eyes widen in confusion/shock and he scrambling to get up and of the table. He cautiously takes a couple steps back. 

“Who the hell are you guys…and why the heck was I lying on a table?” he pauses then looks around. “In a library?”

“Um we brought you here to tend to your wounds after you got your ass kicked by a guard” I.M simply says “Now, can you relax and stop standing like you’re handling a bunch of wild animals? We won’t hurt you…much” he continues. Smiling evilly at the last thing he says.

“I.M that’s not funny” Shownu says to the younger. I.M pouts and mumbles about it being a little funny.

“Don’t listen to the kid. He is only like this because Shownu and I are here. If he was alone with you he would have crawled up a wall in fear” Says Minhyuk and I.M just nods in agreement. “We aren’t going to hurt you at all, so please just relax and sit down. Your body has gone through a lot in the past couple of hours and you shouldn’t be straining it like that” Minhyuk finishes and Hyungwon seemed to relax a bit. The thinner male looks at each one of them, but stops at Shownu. 

“I’m Show…”Shownu had started introducing himself, but gets interrupted.

 

“I know who you are. I do watch Television” Hyungwon spat out. Shownu mentally blanked. “I know about all the people you’ve killed…You are just the director’s dog. Loved by the masses because of how merciless you are. Because of the monster you are” Shownu was at a loss for words. Is this how people saw him? Just a merciless killing machine? All the times Minhyuk and I.M told him he wasn’t. Was that all a lie? Monster. That word. Is that really what he is? The way Hyungwon is looking at him. Like he was the scariest thing to exist. 

“You’re wrong. The Television is wrong. Shownu isn’t a monster!” I.M angrily shouts. “That’s what they make people think. They cut away all the things that make Shownu look like he cares, like he regrets what he has done. He has never killed anyone! Unlike you” The younger sneers at the taller male. Shownu is shocked by I.M’s sudden outburst.

“I.M…It’s okay. He has a poi…” once again Shownu was interrupted.

“No, it’s not okay! Who is this guy to just say all those things? Even after you went through all the trouble to help him!” I.M by this point is fuming with anger. Shownu has never seen him like this before. 

“I didn’t ask for his help! I don’t need anyone’s help! I never got help when I needed it the most! I don’t need it now! I can take care of myself!” Hyungwon fumes back.

 

“Well with an attitude like that I can see why no one wants to help you! You’re just as stuck up like your mom!” I.M shouts, but instantly looked like he regretted it. 

“What the hell do any of you know?” Hyungwon lunges at I.M, but Shownu grabs him before he could get any closer to the younger who had retreated toward Minhyuk. “Let me go!! Just leave me alone!” Hyungwon struggles in Shownu’s grip.

 

“Stop, just relax” Shownu tries to say, but the struggling male wouldn’t let up. “Minhyuk…take I.M and calm him down please. I need to talk with Hyungwon” he says looking over at Minhyuk.

“I-I don’t want to leave you here with him” Minhyuk says, as he holds onto I.M. 

“Please just do as I say” Shownu says with a reassuring smile. The other looked at Shownu worriedly and then turns to glare at Hyungwon. 

“Okay…” was all he said before he left with I.M in his embrace. 

“Oh my god! Fucking let go of me! I swear I’ll…” Shownu lets out a sigh and lets go of the screaming male.

“You’ll what? Scream for help? I thought you weren’t about that and besides no one would help you in here. So why don’t you just sit down and we can talk” He sits down and gestures for Hyungwon to do the same. The other male hesitantly sits four chairs away from him. “First, I would like to apologize about I.M. He has gone through a lot and is just very protective…you’re lucky you chose me as your target. If you had lashed out on Minhyuk he wouldn’t have held back” Shownu says to the other. Hyungwon wasn’t even looking at him though and Shownu felt a little unsettled. “Hey, I promise I won’t hurt you. I-I just want to talk” still no response and Shownu didn’t know what to do. He shifted in his chair because he felt uncomfortable. Maybe the other was afraid of him? “I know I come off as intimidating and I honestly don’t blame you for not trusting me. I wouldn’t either if I was in your position” he sighs deeply. “How are you feeling? I know it’s not my place to say anything, but you shouldn’t listen to what your mom says” Hyungwon looks up this time. 

“Yea, you’re right it isn’t your place to say anything” Hyungwon huffs. “And why the hell were you following me? That’s weird…” 

“I-I wasn’t following you. I was just looking for you”

 

“And that makes it better? That’s still weird. Why the hell were you looking for me?”

 

“I was watching how you didn’t want to fight. The way they cut off what you said in the live show. I just wanted to know why…” Shownu doesn’t get to finish.

 

“Why? Because I’m tired of this shit!” Hyungwon gets up from the chair and towers over Shownu. “Unlike these “Humans” who force us to fight out of our own free will. Like what the hell is wrong with this world!?! I’m…so tired of it”

 

“…” 

 

“What you have nothing to say now? I told you I used to watch you on the TV and I thought you were just a heartless monster that did everything for the hell of it”

“You thought?”

Hyungwon turns away from Shownu. “Your friends seem to have changed my mind. I was just so confused” Shownu watches as Hyungwon sits on the floor and hugs his own knees. “I don’t get it…you shouldn’t be able to know what you’re doing while in a fight, but you do. You know enough to not kill them. How?” Hyungwon blinks up at him. 

“I…I don’t understand what you are saying” 

“You mean you don’t know?” 

“I don’t…” Hyungwon sighs and pulls himself up from the floor and sits on the chair in front of Shownu. 

“I know you know about the experimenting because of your small friend” Shownu looks at him shocked. “Yea, I know about that. I recognized your friend’s face from the one time my mother took me to see if I could be used as a test subject” Hyungwon scuffs. “I wasn’t fucking qualified for it apparently” he looks at the floor. “You really don’t know anything do you?” 

“The only one that would know would be Minhyuk. He knows a lot about what’s going on” 

 

“You should call them in so I don’t have to repeat myself to them” Shownu nods and gets up to call Minhyuk and I.M. that was until he feels Hyungwon pull on his hand and he turns to face the other. “I-I’m sorry for the things I said earlier. I wasn’t…”

“It’s okay” Shownu smiles at him and Hyungwon just looks at him in awe. 

 

“No, it’s not. Your friend was right. All you did was show me kindness and I didn’t… Even when I continued to yell at you, you never raised your voice at me…” Hyungwon sighs “I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you for helping me when you didn’t need to. I just don’t like owing people things…scratch that I’m just not used to people showing me kindness. I guess I just got defensive…” Hyungwon shyly explains himself. 

“I get it more than you think. It took me while to let someone get close to me too” Shownu reassures him. “I have trust issues too. I have exception though as you can tell with Minhyuk and I.M hanging around me”

 

“You really care about them don’t you?” Hyungwon asks as he looks up at Shownu with puppy like eyes.

 

“I…I’d give anything to protect them” Shownu answers and Hyungwon looks away. 

 

“Must be nice…having someone like you. For as long as I can remember no one has showed me any kindness. All I’ve ever got was hate. I don’t get it…why did I have to turn out like this? Why couldn’t I have been normal maybe she would have loved me? Maybe she wouldn’t have locked me up all my life… I feel so lost” Hyungwon starts saying as he cups his face with his hands. “I’m sorry…I just…I don’t know what is wrong with me. I would never break down like this in front of anyone. Y-You just feel so…safe” he lifts his head from his hands and looks up at Shownu with tears streaming down his face. “This is so stupid. I just met you! I hate feeling so freaking helpless!” Shownu kneels down in front of Hyungwon and looks into his eyes. 

 

“It’s okay to feel helpless Hyungwon. You’ve gone through a lot. I.M and Minhyuk have gone through a lot. Everyone has their demons, but yours aren’t who you are or aren’t. Yours are what you think of yourself” Shownu softly says as he reacts up to wipe away the other’s tears. “It’s okay to feel helpless and lost sometimes. You just have to remember that you can’t do everything yourself. Let people help you. You aren’t a burden not to the people who really love you and care about you” 

“I-I have no one. I’m alone. I’ll always be alone…my own mother didn’t want me” Hyungwon sobs out leaning closer into his touch. 

“I care about you” Shownu pulls Hyungwon into a hug. “I just met you and I already have this desire to protect you. To see you happy” 

“Oh my god, that’s so cheesy...” Hyungwon shakily laughs into Shownu’s shoulder. “Are you like this all the time?”

“No, I don’t think so at least. I hope not. That was a little cheesy wasn’t it?” Shownu laughs “I meant it though. I hope you know that” he smiles when he feels the thinner male nod. “Should I get Minhyuk and I.M now?”

“No…Just hold me for a little longer I…I want to make sure this is real and not just a dream”

“Okay…that would be a weird dream though”

“Shut up”

***

“Wow okay so you’re mom kept you locked up like a fucking prisoner for as long as you could walk and then dumps you here so she could see you get killed?” Minhyuk repeats annoyed. “Hold up I forgot to repeat the part where she would also fucking beat you!” 

 

“Yea, that’s what he said. Why did you have to repeat it?” Questions I.M.

 

“Just making sure I got everything” Minhyuk scuffs. “I fucking hate that…bitch” 

 

“I can’t stomach the stories you guys told me either. I mean like what do I say? I guess we all had pretty hard lives. I’m sorry for saying that you guys didn’t understand what I went through” Hyungwon scratches the back of his head. 

 

“I told you we all have our demons to deal with…some of us have bigger ones than others” Shownu says glancing over at I.M. They fell silent for a while.

 

“I guess I should tell you guys why I wanted to talk to you. I just wanted to know if you guys knew about the X Drug?” Hyungwon looks at them and sighs when they all shake their heads. “I thought so. It turns us powered humans in to savage killing machines”

“I thought it didn’t work! They tried it on me and I didn’t turn out the way they wanted” I.M panics.

“You’re right what they tried doing to you…didn’t work. They tried to have the effect of the X drug be permanently in your blood system, but they couldn’t do it. Your body refused the drug to stay” Hyungwon says. 

 

“Wait so…they drugged my brother…they made him into a monster for their own personal entertainment?” Minhyuk clutches his fists together. “I knew something was wrong. I knew that my brother had changed when he stepped into that arena” Minhyuk starts trembling. “That explains a lot about why people go crazy when they fight. Almost like they weren’t in control of themselves. Wait, but what about you and Shownu? You guys didn’t seem different when you fought”

 

“It doesn’t work on me. Just like it didn’t work on I.M. That’s why I wasn’t qualified to be a test subject” Hyungwon turns to Shownu. “I’m guessing it’s the same for you…I don’t know” They all turn to Shownu for an explanation.

 

“I don’t know either”

 

“Hmm” Hyungwon puts his hand on his chin thinking.

 

“Have you ever been injected with something black?” I.M asks.

“Ah…yea when I first got here they would do that to me every day, but nothing happened” Hyungwon and I.M both stare at Shownu. 

“Yup, it seems like you have a tolerance to it too” Hyungwon says with amazement. “I thought I was the only one…” He turns to Minhyuk. “What about you?” 

“I have no clue…maybe I’m the same. The Oldman always did say I was special” Minhyuk shrugs. “Huh, I guess he was right. You really were special Shownu” Minhyuk laughs. 

 

“Not to be that person, but aren’t Shownu and Hyungwon going to have to face each other one day?” I.M points out and the room goes quiet again. Shownu’s heart breaks to think that one day he would have to go against Hyungwon. He could see from the other’s face that he felt the same. 

 

“We don’t have to” Shownu says. “We both don’t get affected by the drug. We can take a stand” he continues with determination in his eyes. 

 

“You mean show the people we are more than just monsters?” Hyungwon asks. Shownu nods. “I like it” smiles the male.

 

“It’s going to be the four of us against the world” Minhyuk states.

 

“Someone has to stand up to this injustice” Hyungwon interjects “We have to try something…even if it means…death” the four of them go silent for a while thinking about all the different things that could happen to them.

 

“Insert dramatic music here” I.M says and everyone groans.

 

****

 

It’s been two weeks since they met Hyungwon. They all instantly bonded like they had known each other for years not just weeks or months. Shownu was content with the little family he had made, but it still didn’t feel complete. It was like something was missing or in this chase someone. It was still strange to think how he instantly bonded so easily with the three people in front of him. It was like they were all meant to be together. It was like they were each a puzzle piece destined to be together. There were pieces missing. The puzzle was quiet complete…and it makes him uneasy. 

“Shownu, what are you thinking about?” Hyungwon questions.

“Nothing important” he replies. Hyungwon simply just nods and turns back to listen to what the other two were talking about. Shownu smiles softly at the tall male as he watches Changkyun and Minhyuk bicker with each other. Hyungwon is also quiet when it comes to talking, but his expressions are loud. He could probably sleep for years and still be tired. He could be considered calm if it wasn’t for the times he joined in with Changkyun and Minhyuk. Still being less rowdy than them, but just as loud. Shownu turns away from the three as he feels his attention being pulled in another direction. As he scans the library his eyes land on the white hair guard who was looking right at him leaning at the entrance. Shownu looks away as he feels something tug at his chest. The white haired guard winks at him before he leaves. Shownu excuses himself. Telling the others that he will be back, that he needs to use the restroom. As he makes his way out of the library he sees the guard walk through the crowd. Before Shownu could tell himself to stop his body follows. He pushes through the crowds of people and follows the guard. As he walks father from everyone he finds himself being pulled by his arm. Shownu turns to his side to find the guard leading him somewhere. 

"Don't say a thing until i tell you too"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! seriously though come yell at me if i don't post every two weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what can i say except for im a horrible...horrible person that can't do anything on time. here is a new chapter that i pretty much just shit out of my brain. all on mx have there dramarama hair colors. its random honestly, really bad cliffhanger. I"M SORRY! hope you enjoy. i hope i can get the next chapter out soon. if not im sorry

“Don’t say anything until I tell you too” The white haired guard says softly while grabbing Shownu by the arm and pulling him out of the prison. The guard places some sort of bracelet on him before they walk through one of those machines that detects powers and to Shownu’s surprise the alarms didn’t go off. He kept his mouth shut though afraid of what would happen to him if he spoke without permission. The white haired guard opens another door and peeks through it. Several seconds pass before Shownu was pulled out of the room and lead through a long corridor. At the end of the long hall was an elevator. Shownu looks at the guard stunned. He can’t go through there. He can’t leave his friends. What if he never came back? What would they think? He can’t. Shownu pulls free from the guard. In just a few seconds Shownu pulls the guards arms behind his back and slams him face first to the wall. The guard lets out a startled/pained yelp. A yelp? Shownu looks at the guard and he feels that sudden urge to protect him. Why? Why is he getting that felling from this guard? All they have ever done to him was hurt him. Why does he want to protect him? Shownu tightens his grip on the guard’s arms and pulls them up earning him another pained sound to come from the guard. 

“Where are you taking me?” Shownu demands. When he didn’t get a response he pushes the others arms higher. The guard lets out a pained whimper. 

“I….I’m…here to—to ggget you out” cries the guard and Shownu looks at the white haired male. The male’s deep brown eyes seem too innocent for him to be in this line of work, but Shownu could also see the pain and fear in them as well. 

“Bullshit! Tell me what you want from me” Shownu wasn’t having it. Who does this guy think he is? Does he really think he was going to fool him like that? He pulls the guard’s arms up to a painful position.

“S—stop…that hurts” cries the other and Shownu loosens his hold on the guard. Something seems familiar about this guy and Shownu couldn’t figure out what. There is no way that this ‘guard’ actually works here. All the other guards have been so cruel and heartless. This one seems so young and sensitive? Shownu turns to study the male pinned to the wall and watches as he takes in deep breaths to calm himself down. Shownu lets him go, but the guard doesn’t move and Shownu actually feels bad. He feel bad for hurting him. 

“Are you okay?” Shownu asks tilting his head at the younger male. The white haired male startles and turns to Shownu.

“Y-Yea” he stutters out before he clears his throat. “I mean, yea I’m fine” the male looks away and pulls out a rectangular object. 

“What’s that?” Shownu asks his curiosity getting the better of him. The male looks at the object in his hand.

“You mean my cellphone?” The guard looks at his phone and then back at Shownu.

“Oh…is that what they look like? I’ve only really read descriptions of them in books” 

“Um…well you can make phone calls with other people and text them too…and other stuff. I-You really haven’t seen one before?” Shownu just furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head. 

“I mean I’ve been locked up for most of my life…so no” he shrugs.

“Oh right…sorry” the younger male looks down at the floor and Shownu feel the urge to protect him again. Why though? This guy is human. A guard to the people who brought him here and caused him so much pain. Why does he want to protect him? He has never seem him before right? Those eyes seem familiar to him though. They remind him of someone, but he doesn’t remember. 

“Who are you?” Shownu asks softly and the male looks up startled.

“J-Joo…My name is Jooheon” stutters out the male. Shownu freezes at the familiarity of the name. Flash backs of when he was younger swims through his head. Images of two kids. One of them he doesn’t remember, but the other looks like…pain courses through his head. It was too much. Shownu stumbles backwards. Jooheon reaching out to get him, but Shownu flinches back. This guy can’t be the same Jooheon from his childhood. It can’t. It can’t be the same person he had practically adopted when they were kids. He remembers it was him, Jooheon and someone else. There was another kid…he can’t remember the name or face. They’re still alive. How are they still alive? It’s been so many years. “Hyunwoo…” Shownu looks up at the other. Jooheon had tears streaming down his face. Shownu falls to his knees after hearing that name. It was so familiar. It was like something missing was reunited to him. Was that his real name? It’s been so long. He hadn’t heard his real name in such a long time. He had forgotten he had one. 

“Joo-Jooheon…is that you?” Shownu whispers, but the younger hears him and is instantly next to Shownu enveloping him in a tight hug.

“Yea, it’s me” Jooheon sounds like he is on the verge of tears.

“How? Jooheon How are you here?” Shownu pulls away from the hug and holds the younger so he could look at him.

“You saved us remember? You risked your own freedom to save Hoseok and me” he doesn’t remember. 

“Hoseok?”

“Yea, Hoseok. You two were inseparable remember? Hyunwoo. You remember right? He spent years trying to get you back. That’s why I’m here. He sent me here to rescue you” Shownu shook his head. He can’t remember who Hoseok is. Things are still so hazy. Shownu winces in pain again as Jooheon reaches out to him again. “I’m so happy right now. I finally get to hold you again. It’s been so long. I didn’t think I’d ever see you in person again” Jooheon says as he nuzzles himself against Shownu’s chest. “I missed you so much Hyunwoo you don’t understand. It hurt us so much to see you in so much pain” Shownu wraps his arms around the younger’s body suddenly remembering that this was a normal thing between both of them. He remembers comforting Jooheon when he came crying. He would stroke his fingers through the younger’s…

“Jooheon…”

“Yea?”

“What happened to your hair?” Jooheon pulls away and touches his hair. 

“What? Why? What’s wrong with it?!?” 

“It’s so white. I don’t remember it being like that the last time I saw you” Shownu chuckles at the perplexed face Jooheon gets. 

“It’s a style! I had to dye it to blend in!”

“Do a lot of people have white hair?”

“No…it was meant to be blonde, but it didn’t really work out like that as you can tell…” Jooheon pouts. “Does it really look that bad?” he asks touching his hair. Shownu reaches out to pat the younger on the head. 

“I never said it looked bad. You look great Jooheon” he smiles fondly at the other. Jooheon looks at Shownu and smiles brightly, but then his smile falters. 

“Hyunwoo…”

“Yea Jooheon?”

“Can we leave now? Hoseok and Kihyun are probably waiting to see us” Shownu froze. Was Jooheon actually being serious when he said that he would get him out?

“How are you even here Jooheon? How did you get me out of there without anyone noticing?” Shownu looks at the younger male in shock. Does he mean leave the prison or just this room? Who the hell is Kihyun too? 

“Well, we had to go through a lot to get in here and get an opportunity to get you out. If it wasn’t for Kihyun’s expert hacking skills this would be damn near impossible. He had to go through a lot to hide my powers from all the machines that can detect them and hack the cameras so they wouldn’t notice us leaving too. Kihyun is too smart for his own good” Jooheon explains. Shownu’s whole body fills with joy. He can leave. He can finally be free. Free from this hell. Then suddenly he feels dread. So much dread. He can’t leave. Not know. Not when he has three people waiting for him. He can’t leave them.

“I…I can’t leave Jooheon” Shownu quietly states. The younger looks shocked by his word. 

“What do you mean? We need to leave, Hoseok is waiting for us! Hyunwoo please come on” pleads the younger trying to grab Shownu’s hand to lead him to the elevator. 

“No, Jooheon you don’t understand. I can’t leave them. I promised to stay with them” Shownu turns to look at Jooheon. 

“You mean those guys you hang out with?” Jooheon asks. 

“Yea…I can’t…leave them”

“I-I… Hoseok’s plan was only for you!” Jooheon states.

“I understand that Jooheon and I also need you to understand I’m not leaving them here” Shownu looks at the sad expression on Jooheon’s face. 

“Hyunwoo…you have to come back with me please. It’s not safe here for you” Jooheon reaches out to grab Shownu’s hand again, but he avoid the others attempt to grab him. Jooheon looks at him like he had just killed his dog right in front of him. 

“I know it’s not safe Jooheon. Nothing about this is safe” Shownu looks away not being able to look at his friend. 

“No, I mean they are planning something big…the director of the fights I mean. He is working with leader Ryan Pierce to make us into weapons. I’ve seen so many things since I’ve been here” Shownu looks at the other shocked. Weapons? What does he mean by weapons?

“What do you mean weapons Jooheon?”

“I mean all these fights you’ve been in were just trials. They plan on creating more powered humans in…”

“In labs I know…one of my friends is one of them” 

“Wh-what? How is that possible? He shouldn’t be in control of himself if he is! I’ve seen them…they’re scary. Like mindless killing machines with no human left in them.” Jooheon looks so scared and Shownu just wants to hold him again. To protect him. 

“Not, I.M he is the sweetest kid…a little weird, but that only adds to his charm” he tries to lighten the mood instead. 

“I had to transport a few of them to…to another lab…. This is what one of them did to me” Shownu pales as Jooheon rolls up his sleeve to reveal a healing wound across his forearm. It looks like some rabid animal had bit onto him and didn’t want to let go. 

“Jooheon…Why are you here?” Shownu asks without thinking. The look on Jooheon’s face was pure hurt. 

“For you…I thought I told you this” The youngers voice cracks as he tries to hold back his tears. 

“No I mean. Why didn’t Hoseok come instead?” Why would this guy risk Jooheon’s safety? Why isn’t he here instead? 

“He…He can’t go out much anymore” Jooheon simply replies. 

“Why? What happened to him?” Jooheon looks away from Shownu. The younger leans up against the wall and slides down bringing his knees to his chest and resting his head on them.

“Hyunwoo…please come back with me. I don’t want to see you turn into one of those monsters” Jooheon mumbles and Shownu can feel his heart ache. 

“Joohoney…I can’t. I’m sorry” The combination of words come out of his mouth without thinking. 

“You remember my nickname…” Jooheon whispers.

“It just came back to me. I remember I always called you that when you were sad and I didn’t want to see my little honey bee sad” Shownu tries to reach out to Jooheon, but he jerks away.

“Why won’t you come back with me? I miss you so much…please!” Jooheon practically screams in Shownu’s face. 

“Would you leave them?” Shownu asks calmly. Jooheon blinks at him.

“What?” 

“If you met people you felt…safe with. Would you leave them?” 

“You don’t know what I lost to get to you. It wasn’t always Kihyun, Hoseok and I. We made friends with others who tried escaping the police. We lost all seven of them when we needed to steel the technology to make this stupid thing” Jooheon looks at his wrist that had the same black bracelet he had put on Shownu. “…and you’re telling me you won’t come back with me because you made friends?” Jooheon starts crying and Shownu felt so guilty. “Jaebum, Mark, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam, Yugyeom and…Jackson. Those were their names” Jooheon got up and walks towards the door away from the elevator. 

“Jooheon…Look at me” Shownu gets up to walk towards the other, but Jooheon didn’t even flinch. Shownu felt his heart clench “Jooheon please…I beg you” he tries to grab the other again, but Jooheon suddenly turns around still without looking at Shownu.

“I—I should probably take you back…the other guards will start wondering where you are” Shownu didn’t want to leave him. Not like this. Not when he hurt Jooheon. 

“Jooheon don’t do this please” Shownu pleads. “Joohoney please look at me” Shownu forcefully grabs Jooheon and tries to make eye contact with the younger. “Please you need to understand that they are important to me too. I can’t just leave them especially now with what you told me they plan on doing to them. I’m so sorry what happened to your friends.” The younger still wouldn’t look at him and this breaks Shownu. It hurt so much. “Please…please look at me Jooheon. I’m so sorry…” Jooheon pulls away from Shownu’s grip and starts leading him back towards the door. Back towards his hell. 

“I’ll get you back to them”

 

****   
Jooheon had put Shownu back in the prison without another word and Shownu just wanted to stop the younger and hug him, but that would have meant blowing Jooheon’s cover. That would have meant that they would have thrown him in here with him and that’s not what he wants for the other. Shownu starts to walk aimlessly through the building. How could he has taken Jooheon’s efforts for granted like that? The idea of Shownu never seeing his friend again hurt him so much, but he could leave his other friends. Not when they helped him with so much. They helped him want to keep moving forward. To keep fighting. In a way Minhyuk, I.M and Hyungwon are his first memories because he doesn’t remember his old ones. Jooheon…was like his little brother though. He remembers that he promised to protect him from everything, but here he is hurting him. He caused him pain. 

“There he is!” Shownu hears a deep voices say. He then gets attacked by said person. Shownu looks down at the person hugging him and smiles slightly when he sees I.M.

“Oh my god, Shownu where the fuck did you go! We have been looking for you all over the place” Hyungwon grumbles. Shownu looks up and sees Hyungwon and Minhyuk walking towards him. 

“Long Story…” Shownu whispers.

“Hey, are you okay?” Minhyuk asks concern laced in his voice.

“Yea, how about we go to the library and I’ll tell you guys everything” Shownu softly says and the three other males look at him sadly. 

“Okay”

 

****

“Wait you…you mean that white haired guard was one of your childhood friends this whole time?” Minhyuk blurts out. “I knew there was something off about him!”

“If you knew then why didn’t you say anything dumbass!” Hyungwon says to Minhyuk and they both start bickering to one another.

“Was he important to you?” I.M asks looking at Shownu with an unreadable expression. 

“Yea…He was…still is and I hurt him…He probably hates me now” Shownu says sadly looking at his hands trying to escape the youngest gaze.

“Don’t beat yourself up so bad Hyunwoo. I mean it was stupid of you to lose your freedom for us, but at the same time thanks?” Hyungwon replies. 

“I can’t say that I have any regrets staying with you guys…I knew I couldn’t leave you guys”

“Than what’s bothering you?” 

“I still don’t remember much of anything from my past. There are new memories sure, but I still can’t remember…Jooheon came out of nowhere and helped me remember a little, but I still don’t remember him that much. You guys seem more real to me right now.”

“Hyunwoo…”

“Please…don’t call me that”

“But…that’s your name”

“It was a long time ago…for all I know Hyunwoo doesn’t exists anymore. How can I be someone I don’t remember anything about?”

“Shownu…why did you give up your freedom for us?”

“Would you have left without a word?”

 

****

Two months have passed since Shownu met Jooheon and talked to him. It still haunts him the way he had just rejected his supposed “little brother” after everything that he had gone through to get him out. Shownu looks down at his bruised and scared arms and hands, he remembers how he got all of them. He was always dancing with death. It’s honestly a miracle he is still alive after so many years of pain. Could this be his last? He looks up and stares at the big metal door keeping him in like a wild animal. Shownu looks over at the guards that are in the same room as him talking to someone in a lab coat. Turning back to look at the door Shownu feels his body shake. He should really be used to this by now. Used to hearing the crowds go crazy above him. Used to the fear he has when waiting for these doors to open. He shouldn’t be afraid though. He told himself he wouldn’t fight anymore. Not today. Today he takes a stand in front of millions of people watching this hell of a show. Maybe after today the world will see them differently. More than just the monster they were made to look like. Shownu looks back at his hands. He wonders if Jooheon will watch this. He hopes not. 

“Don’t move!” says one of the guards as he walks towards him. Shownu then feels his head being yanked to the side, exposing his neck. Before he could react a sharp pain courses through his neck down his spine. His head is released and he looks up with everything being disoriented. Dizziness was all he felt for a while. Shownu clutches his head and gasps in pain. Everything hurt. His body felt like it was on fire. 

“The doors will open in five minutes ladies and gentlemen. We will reveal our fighters then the games will start!” Shownu hears the announcer speak, but it sounds like it’s so far away. It was getting harder and harder for him to focus. Shownu screams and bangs his fists hard on the doors in front of him. He suddenly feel an uncontrollable amount of rage. Rage not aimed at anyone in particular, but at whoever stands in his way. The doors open and he runs out, but stops when he hears someone in his ear tell him to stay. Shownu obeys and halts. Across from him he could barely register another figure, tall and slender. They seemed familiar, but everything was so foggy. All he could think of was to kill. The urge was so big he could barely stand still.

“….place your bets my good people!” Shownu barely understands anything the announcer says. He was drowning…drowning in this primal rage he couldn’t control. Every thought he had was to kill anything and anyone that gets in his way. The voice he heard earlier speaks up again and it only said one word “kill” and Shownu went running towards his opponent.

“I’ll…kill you” Shownu growls and forms the earth at his will. Shaping it into stalagmites towards the person running towards him. The slender man barely dodges it and sends Shownu flying back with a powerful burst of wind. He hit the floor hard when he lands and it leaves him disorientated, but his body wouldn’t stop. He got back up ignoring the immense pain the fall has caused him. Shownu forms a rock wall behind the taller man and ran towards him running his hand through the floor to form a sword out of rock. Hyungwon—the taller man let another burst of air free, but Shownu formed a barrier to stop it and continued to run towards the other male. The next few seconds sent pain to his head as he hears the other scream in pain. No, what is he doing? Shownu steps back from the other and nearly screams. 

“Hyungwon…” Shownu whispers instead. He…He didn’t kill him. Hyungwon was alive. Shownu had gained enough self-control that he aimed at a none lethal spot. He still hurt him. He still managed to impale Hyungwon on the leg. 

“K—Kill!” Hyungwon screams and sends Shownu flying backwards. This time though he lands on one of his stalagmites and he screams in pain as his left shoulder gets impaled. Shownu watches trough blurry vision as Hyungwon pulls the sword out of his leg and starts limping towards him. Sword dragging on the floor as does. The same word being repeated over and over “kill”. 

“Hyun…H—hyungwww—on” Shownu wheezes out before he coughs causing him so much pain. Hyungwon didn’t seem to register anything though. He only lifts the sword up ready to strike and end Shownu on the spot. “I’m sorry…” Shownu says to him. Why? Because he couldn’t save them. He didn’t get to apologize to Jooheon. He didn’t get to see Hoseok…he remembers him now. He remembers how it was always just him, Hoseok and Jooheon. They were abandoned by their families because they were freaks, not human. Only a few months old and they were abandoned by the same people that had given them life. Left them for dead, but there was an old lady that took them in. He remembers the stories she told them about how she had found them and that they were the greatest thing to happen to her. It caused Hoseok pain to know that he was so easily thrown away because he was different though, but Shownu was there to comfort him. Eventually the old lady was killed for hiding and protecting them. Shownu and Hoseok were three years old when they learned to fight for themselves. One day while scavenging they found Jooheon crying in an alleyway abandoned just like they were. That was when they learned to take care of a baby along with themselves. At six years old. Everything was ripped away from him. He remembers how he held off about 5 people so both Jooheon and Hoseok could escape. He protected them even if it meant his demise. He loved them. He still does. Shownu looks over at the crowd. Everything seems like it was in slow motion as he watches a familiar male with dark purple hair stares at him with tears in his eyes. “Hoseok?” Shownu whispers before he feels pain rip through his body and he feels numb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if any one still even reads this.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and kudos lets me know you like it. All a big thanks to my beta reader. her feed back helps a lot.


End file.
